When Montana State University-Northern defensive end Will Andrews walked off the Blue Pony Stadium Field for the final time back on Nov. 14, 2011, he was hoping his football career wasn’t over.
Now, as the NFL Draft approaches, it’s becoming quite clear his playing days are nowhere near being done.
Andrews recently participated in the University of Montana Pro Day and put up numbers that have started turning heads among NFL Scouts. It also got Andrews, who’s quickly becoming an NFL linebacker prospect a chance to go to Detroit later this month for the NFL’s Super Regional Scouting Combine.
Andrews, who was a two-time NAIA All-American at Northern and last year’s Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Year, put up Pro Day numbers recently which would have been some of the best among defensive players at the famous NFL Scouting Combine, which was held in Indianapolis a few weeks ago.
The Sandpoint, Idaho native ran a 4.56 40-yard dash which would have placed him third at his position at the combine. His 60-yard shuttle time of 11.40 would have placed him first, while his 4.10 short shuttle time would have been good for second. He also benched 23 reps at 225 pounds, good enough for 14th in Indianapolis, while his vertical jump of 35 inches would have also had him in 14th place.
Andrews has also been working hard to not just gain attention by NFL Scouts, some who’ve tabbed him as a Zach Thomas (Former Miami Dolphins Pro Bowler) clone, but also just to continue improving towards his goal of playing professional football. He’s been training for over two months at the Athlete’s Performance Institute in Phoenix, Ariz., which is considered one of the top facilities for prospective NFL players to prepare for scouting combines.
Andrews also participated in the inaugural NAIA vs. NCAA DII Senior Bowl back in November in New York, where he got a chance to perform in front of multiple scouts from not just the NFL, but the CFL and the Arena Football League.
And plenty of people have started to take notice. Andrews' performance at Pro Day was recently chronicled on the blog The Bleacher Report, as well as various other scouting sites on the internet.
He also recently talked about what his strengths are as it pertains to being given a chance at the next level.
"My quickness and my strength,” Andrews said may be his best qualities adding “I may not be the biggest or tallest guy out there but the quickness and I've dealt with and can take on blocks coming up into the second level because I've pass rushed for much of my career. That's a major strength of mine and obviously the knowledge of the game I love the film study."
